Grammar – The Steve Laube Agencyhttps://stevelaube.com
Helping to Change the World Word by WordMon, 12 Aug 2019 01:00:26 +0000en-US
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15 Grammar Rules That Can be Brokenhttps://stevelaube.com/15-grammar-rules-that-can-be-broken/
https://stevelaube.com/15-grammar-rules-that-can-be-broken/#commentsMon, 12 Aug 2019 10:00:30 +0000https://stevelaube.com/?p=18218With trepidation I step into the gladiator arena of grammar. Below is a marvelous infographic from ExpertEditor.com, an Australian professional editing and proofreading company. Do you agree or disagree with these choices? Grammar rules are there for a reason. Clarity, consistency, and communication. A sloppy manuscript is a terrible thing …

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https://stevelaube.com/break-the-ruleson-purpose/#commentsWed, 03 Apr 2019 10:00:58 +0000https://stevelaube.com/?p=17504As a rule, writers should have a good grasp of the rules. Rules of grammar. Style. Usage. And the fundamental rule that you never walk the out man. Oh, wait, that’s baseball. It’s a good rule, though. As a writer and an editor, I like the rules. Most of the …

As a rule, writers should have a good grasp of the rules. Rules of grammar. Style. Usage. And the fundamental rule that you never walk the out man. Oh, wait, that’s baseball. It’s a good rule, though.

As a writer and an editor, I like the rules. Most of the time, they make perfect sense because they make things easier and clearer for the reader, which is one of the keys to good style. For example, whereas I find it wise and useful to agree with Steve Laube quickly and completely in all things, there is one important area in which we disagree. You see, he has publicly (oh, the shame!) accepted the singular “they” (see this blog post), which I consider an abomination. There’s always room for disagreement among friends and colleagues, but in this matter, I happen to be right, and he happens to be insane.

Still, I’m willing to grant that there are times when the tried-and-tested rules of grammar, style, and usage are broken…wisely and effectively. Not by Steve, but by other people. So, I asked my writing friends on Facebook to reveal what grammar or writing “rule” they sometimes break, intentionally and purposefully.

For example, I learned in school (yes, there were schools when I was younger) that a paragraph should always comprise more than one sentence.

So much for that.

Diana Sharples answered, “I break a lot of rules as I execute the teenage voice of my characters. Starting with contractions. Fragments. Run-on (especially for girls when they’re excited). And I ‘might could’ use some southern jargon that gives some editors fits.”

Well, sure. In fiction. What about nonfiction?

Steve Simms says he breaks the rule that says one should use a semicolon only to separate thoughts that could stand as complete sentences on their own. “Instead,” he says, “I like to use a semicolon as if it is a ‘major comma’—kind of a ‘comma exclamation point.’ What is it about guys named Steve?

Janet McHenry, a high school English teacher for twenty-six years, confessed, “I often start a sentence with a conjunction because readers expect both fiction and nonfiction (I write both) to be more conversational than they were in the past.”

Carol Ashby admits to both “ending a sentence with a preposition and beginning a sentence with a conjunction (and or but). I published scientific articles for years, and formal rules were always applied. It took me at least a year writing fiction to stop cringing when I started a sentence with But instead of However.

Sara Beth Williams added, “I also love sentence fragments. It creates a more unique and realistic sense of personality in my opinion, especially in internal dialogue. When it comes external to dialogue, rules are meant to be ignored.” Really. And she’s not even named Steve.

Beth Brubaker goes even further, confessing a love for “one-word sentences. Seriously. And making a series of them to prove a point. I’m. Not. Kidding.” I. Might. Throw. Up.

Finally, Yolanda Smith admits to breaking the “Who vs. whom” rule. “I love using whom,” she says, “but apparently everyone else thinks it sounds stuffy.” I must confess, too. Occasionally, when I knew I should use whom, I used who instead, not so much for fear of sounding stuffy but because I was pretty sure whom would compete with rather than support what I was trying to say, depending on whom my reader was.

Your Turn:

What about you? Are there rules you break…knowingly and to a good purpose?

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https://stevelaube.com/a-plea-for-preciser-language/#commentsWed, 20 Mar 2019 10:00:13 +0000https://stevelaube.com/?p=17472Not everyone is a grammar nazi and spelling tyrant as I am. And some people write so brilliantly that spelling and grammar mistakes are more easily overlooked. I don’t know any of those people, but I’m told they exist. The vast majority of writers will do themselves a huge favor …

Not everyone is a grammar nazi and spelling tyrant as I am. And some people write so brilliantly that spelling and grammar mistakes are more easily overlooked. I don’t know any of those people, but I’m told they exist. The vast majority of writers will do themselves a huge favor if they do their best to use precise language, grammar, and punctuation in everything they produce.

Below are a few incorrect or imprecise usages I see regularly that I plead with you to correct when you write stuff in the future.

Blog v. blog post

It seems as though I see this nearly every day. Someone might say, “Great blog,” when they mean “Great blog post.” I know it seems minor, but to be precise, a “blog” is the site where “blog posts” appear. “Blog” can also be a verb, of course; a blogger blogs by posting blog posts on a blog. Easy peasy, right?

“Fiction novel”

I’ve commented on this pet peeve of mine several times on this blog (in blog posts, no less), but I keep seeing it nonetheless. It’s almost as if no one reads what I write … or no one cares about the things that peeve me. Nonetheless, since all novels are fiction, “fiction novel” is redundantly redundant.

“Could care less”

I saw this in a published book just the other day, and it never fails to stop me short. Please bear in mind that if you could care less, you care some. The correct phrase is “couldn’t care less,” which means, of course, that you don’t care at all.

“Doesn’t jive”

Unless you’re saying that something or someone doesn’t dance or get down with the groovy music, you probably mean it doesn’t “jibe.” “To jibe” means to “match” or align with something else. And a mocking or sarcastic comment is a “gibe,” which seldom jibes with jive.

“Beg the question”

Strictly speaking (which is what we’re doing here, right?), “to beg the question” means to make an argument that assumes the thing it’s trying to prove (as in, “Smoking cigarettes can kill you because cigarettes are deadly”). But people often use the phrase (and some dictionaries have begun to accept it) to mean “to prompt the question,” as in, “Her proposal begs the question, ‘why do we even need a high-speed rail system?’” In my little world, using “begs the question” incorrectly prompts the question, “Does this person’s work have other inaccuracies?”

“Alright”

Although altogether and already are all right, alright isn’t (and yes, I know that some dictionaries and editors allow it, but I’m not alright with them). I plead with you to use “all right,” a’ight?

“Alot”

Similarly, alot is not a word. Allot is, but it doesn’t mean “a lot.” So please don’t use it, not even alittle.

I could go on. And on. As I often do. But correcting just these seven little missteps could greatly improve your pitches and projects. Alot.